The Editor,
Re: “Not all on council on board with top cop’s crime reduction plan,” the Now, Dec. 10.
Here we go again. I was amused to hear Coun. Dave Woods’ appraisal of Chief Supt. Fordy’s performance measures and targets.
Both Woods and Coun. Tom Gill wade into a critical debate about public safety without any apparent intentions of helping the situation.
Let’s drill down though. Woods has previously referred to the RCMP plans as being “ambiguous,” and now questions the statistical basis on which the RCMP measure their activity. To quote, “It’s basically the same old stuff we have done before.”
No surprise that Gill, an accountant by background, jumped at the opportunity to argue the metrics.
It didn’t take long for Gill to muse whether money spent on 100 new officers for Surrey was money well spent.
History reminds us that Surrey First, under Dianne Watts, throttled up development that many would describe as rampant and then acted surprised by the corresponding growth in crime.
The challenges facing law enforcement in Surrey are the direct result of years of neglect by mayors and council members who have failed miserably at their primary responsibility, to ensure our city is safe and fiscally sound.
Remember the 1,000 new residents per month? Both Watts and Mayor Linda Hepner conveniently ignore what has come home to roost – the downside costs associated with rampant development.
Overcrowded schools, overcrowded hospitals, overcrowded roads in poor repair, nominal public transportation and skyrocketing crime in parts of the city thought previously immune. Your mayor and council will blame the province for funding, who will blame the feds – and so it goes.
It is pretty tedious, but the city is in debt for the first time and as a result your taxes will be going up – a lot.
I would have been more impressed if Woods or Gill actually tabled a plan of their own. Perhaps their plan would acknowledge their own responsibility for this mess in the first place.
Mike Proskow, Surrey